In the manufacture and assembly of goods, overhead conveyor or trolley systems are often utilized for moving production articles or components from one work station to another. In most instances, as for example where a part is to be painted, it is important that foreign particles or materials such as dirt or dust not contact the part. Unfortunately, it has been found that with overhead conveyor systems employed to transport parts, undesired foreign substances fall and rest upon the rail or track upon which the trolley wheels of the conveyor system travel. Over a period of time a substantial amount of dirt accumulates on the rail. Subsequently, when a trolley wheel passes over the deposited dirt, the dirt is extruded by the weight of the trolley or conveyor wheel and compressed into larger particles which drop off the rail. The particles often drop onto the work stations located below the rail or onto the product or part upon which some operation such as painting is to be performed.
In order to eliminate this problem, it is necessary in some cases to stop the conveyor line while the trolley and rail or track are cleaned. This cleaning operation is unsatisfactory because it involves a significant amount of time and labor. Further, the cleaning must often be accomplished at a time when the conveyor system is not in operation, resulting in a loss of production.
Another method employed to obviate the problem of dirt accumulation on the trolley track has been to place catch pans below the conveyor system to catch foreign particles which drop off the rail. This solution has not been uniformly satisfactory, inasmuch as it remains necessary to periodically remove any material accumulated in the catch pans, generally by means of a vacuum cleaner system.
In other applications, the use of catch pans is not a feasible solution due to the location of the conveyor system in a particular facility and the difficulty associated with placing catch pans in proper position. What is desired is a device which precludes particle build-up on a rail or track of a conveyor system, thereby minimizing the problem of extruded dirt particles falling onto work stations or parts being manufactured or assembled.